Press Play with Madeleine Brand: California case: free speech v. abortion rightsCrisis pregnancy centers are generally run by pro-life groups that aim to convince pregnant women not to get abortions. A California law requires that employees tell their clients that the state offers free and low-cost abortions and other family planning services. Now a group of these centers is arguing that the law violates their freedom of speech.

UnFictionalUnbelievably true stories of chance encounters that changed the world. A pair of mail-order shoes that led to the film The Outsiders. A secret road to a California paradise. The day LA and smog first met. Stories that will stick in your head like a memory. It’s UnFictional, hosted by Bob Carlson.

The DocumentThe Document is a new kind of mash-up between documentaries and radio. It goes beyond clips and interviews, mining great stories from the raw footage of documentaries present, past and in-progress. A new episode is available every other Wednesday on iTunes and wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.

To the PointA weekly reality-check on the issues Americans care about most. Host Warren Olney draws on his decades of experience to explore the people and issues shaping – and disrupting - our world. How did everything change so fast? Where are we headed? The conversations are informal, edgy and always informative. If Warren's asking, you want to know the answer.

FROM THIS EPISODE

The Republican slate of presidential contenders was shaken up this weekend. We hear what Rick Perry brings to the race and how it’s been changed by the Iowa Straw Poll. Also, violence in Iraq surges with multiple coordinated bombings, and social and economic protests are spreading in Israel as the Palestinians ready their case for the UN.

Banner image: Fairgoers over the age of 18 are invited to drop one piece of corn into one of 14 jars with photos of their favorite Republican presidential candidate during the second day of the Iowa State Fair August 12, 2011 in Des Moines, Iowa. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In Iraq, the most violent day of this year has killed at least 60 people and wounded hundreds more. Coordinated attacks struck all over the country, except in Kurdistan, apparently directed at security forces in places controlled by both Sunnis and Shiites. Reporter Annie Gowen is based in Baghdad for the Washington Post.

Israel's month-long protest movement has spread beyond Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Some 30,000 protesters turned out this weekend in Haifa, 10,000 in Beersheba and thousands more in smaller cities. The total was less than the 300,000 in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem a week ago, but enough to demonstrate widespread unhappiness. The biggest protests in Israeli history are taking place as the United Nations prepares to vote on demands for statehood from the Palestinian Authority. Mahmoud Abbas has called for mass action leading up to a possible showdown next month. What's at stake for Prime Minister Netanyahu and new settlements in the West Bank?